


From the outside

by Port_in_a_Storm



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Canon Compliant to a Point, Engaged boyfriends!, Fluff, Gen, Hospitals, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 04:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8356852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Port_in_a_Storm/pseuds/Port_in_a_Storm
Summary: "He didn’t know if he’d ever approve, not really. But Aaron was nothing but stubborn, and when he had his heart set on something, he’d go through with it. And he’d had his heart set on Robert for two years"
Paddy finds out Aaron is in hospital and goes to see him. Whilst there he also finds out that Robert and Aaron are engaged.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a small piece about Paddy finding out Aaron is in hospital, because I hope that we get it tomorrow! This is canon compliant, so it doesn't fit in with my 'Blessing' story. Happy reading!

Hospitals never stopped. Paddy paced up and down the outpatients’ room, his backing track the sounds of ringing telephones, quick footsteps, crying and shouting. He looked at the clock: 7am. They’d been here the whole night. It didn’t feel like it. Pierce had been sat in the same chair for ages, just staring into space. He hated the man with everything he had, but it was clear to see that he loved Rhona. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something not quite right about him, but as long as he didn’t hurt her Paddy had promised himself, Pierce and Rhona that he’d stay away.

‘He looks a lot better this mornin’ anyway.’

Paddy’s head jerked up. That sounded like—

‘Chas?’

The woman stopped in her tracks. ‘Paddy!’ she rushed to him and gathered him in her arms. ‘What are you doing here? What happened?’ She looked him over, from his cut and scarred face, to the sling on his arm. He tried shrugging but winced.

‘There was a car crash, this huge… pile-up on the road.’

Her eyes widened. ‘You were there too?’

‘Yeah… What—what are you doin’ here?’

She shared a look with Liv, who bit her lip and looked at the floor.

‘Aaron’s here,’ Chas said. 

His heart stopped. ‘Aaron? What… why? What happened to him? Where is he?’

‘Calm down, Paddy!’ Chas gripped his shoulders, grounding him. ‘He’s fine. His car went off the road, into a lake.’

‘A lake?’

‘Yeah. He’s okay now. Had a bit of a scare last night, but he’s okay now.’

Paddy breathed through his initial panic. Chas didn’t look like she’d been crying recently. In fact she looked relatively well-rested, so he took her word for it. But still— ‘I want to see him.’

‘Yeah, course. He’s in a room on his own, they haven’t moved him yet.’ She gave him directions and then hugged him again. ‘You’re okay, though yeah?’

He nodded stiffly. ‘Rhona’s here. She wasn’t in a good way either, last night. Had a few complications. We’re just waiting for word on her.’

‘ “We”?’

‘Pierce and me.’

‘Oh I see. Happy little threesome are we?’ she said with a playful smile.

He giggled awkwardly. ‘Not quite, no. I’m just waiting to make sure she’s okay, then I’m—I’m goin’ home.’

‘We’ll wait for you,’ Chas said. ‘Liv’s takin’ the day off school today, under the circumstances. We’ll stay. Don’t mind, do you?’ She directed this last at Liv, who shook her head and smiled a little.

He accepted a final hug from Chas, before following her directions to Aaron’s room. He breathed deep, thinking about what he would see and preparing himself for the worst, even though Chas said that he was fine. 

A nurse exited and smiled at him kindly, and that was when he heard two voices in Aaron’s room. He peered through the small rectangular glass and saw Robert sitting at Aaron’s bedside, holding his hand; Aaron was smiling gently, and seemed to be trying to resist the pull of sleep as each time his eyes closed for more than a second, he wrenched them open.

Paddy pulled the door open, but it didn’t alert the two men.

‘Sleep, Baby,’ Robert said gently. ‘I’ll still be here.’

‘Been here all night,’ Aaron grunted. ‘You should go home. Rest.’

‘Don’t need rest. I just need you.’

Aaron snorted a laugh, then winced. He shook his head when Robert hastily apologised. ‘Soft lad,’ he whispered. 

Robert leaned over him carefully and kissed his lips. Paddy backed up a step and knocked on the door. 

‘Paddy?’ Aaron said. ‘What happened to you?’

He looked his son over, seeing his injuries for the first time: the cut on his nose, bruising around the eye. He looked tired, but not too much in pain from what he could see. ‘I could ask you the same,’ he said. ‘Your Mum said you were here. That you were in the lake?’

Aaron nodded, and his eyes flitted to Robert. ‘Yeah.’

Robert hadn’t moved from his side, but he hadn’t looked at Paddy for more than five seconds at a time. All of his attention was on Aaron, and the machines around him.

‘What happened?’

‘The car went off the road. I couldn’t—couldn’t get—’

‘Sh sh, it’s okay. You’re okay,’ Robert soothed gently. He smoothed Aaron’s hair, brushed his fingertips down his cheek. ‘You’re safe.’ Paddy had never heard him sound so soft before, and it threw him. He had only ever heard brash Robert or judgemental Robert. Never this Robert.

It was then that he looked down at their joined hands. His breath caught. ‘You said yes?’ 

Aaron frowned. ‘What?’

Paddy nodded at their hands, but his eyes were on the ring on Aaron’s finger. 

‘You knew?’ Aaron asked. ‘How?’

Robert and Paddy shared a look. Robert cleared his throat. ‘I uh, I asked for his blessin’.’

Aaron’s frown deepened but he smiled as well. ‘You asked for his blessin’? Soft touch.’ Robert huffed a laugh. ‘You said yes?’ Aaron asked Paddy.

Paddy shook his head. ‘No. I didn’t. But he asked you anyway.’

Robert sighed deeply. ‘Come on, Paddy, you knew that I wasn’t going to listen to you.’

‘So why even ask?’ Paddy said, his voice rising. Aaron winced, and Paddy pursed his lips. ‘Sorry.’

Aaron nodded. ‘I’m happy, Paddy. Be happy for me?’

‘Aaron, he’s not right for you.’

‘He saved my life.’

‘I don’t care!’ When Aaron raised an eyebrow, Paddy spluttered and stuttered. ‘I mean—I do—I do _care_ obviously! But he’s… he’s not right for you!’

‘I think he is.’ Aaron swallowed and his eyes started to drift closed again, but he opened them enough to level one last look at Paddy. ‘I love him, Paddy.’

The older man looked at the two of them. Really _looked_. Robert hadn’t let go of Aaron’s hand once. He looked knackered, and he stank probably from the lake water. He didn’t know if he’d ever approve, not really. But Aaron was nothing but stubborn, and when he had his heart set on something, he’d go through with it. And he’d had his heart set on Robert for two years. He walked round to the other side of the bed. He brushed the wavy hair from Aaron’s forehead and smiled. He looked so young. It hit Paddy then that he could have lost him; could have lost him so many times over. He leant down and pressed a kiss to Aaron’s forehead. 

‘I’m not over the moon about this,’ Paddy warned. ‘But I know I can’t stop you.’

Aaron smiled and nodded. ‘You know me,’ he said quietly. ‘Love you, Dad.’

Paddy’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Love you, too.’ 

When Aaron had fully drifted off, the older man pointed at Robert. ‘You take care of him. I mean it!’

Robert nodded. He didn’t let go of Aaron’s hand, and Paddy knew as soon as he left the room that his eyes would be back on the machines and on Aaron’s face, making sure he was safe. Chas was waiting in the outpatients for him, sitting a few seats away from Pierce. She and Liv talked quietly, smiling and giggling together. 

‘Will he take Robert’s name, do you think?’ she was asking.

Chas shrugged. ‘I don’t know, love. I can’t see either of them willing to give up their last names.’ She smiled. ‘Stubborn as mules, both of them!’

But it occurred to Paddy later on the way back to the village, that Chas hadn’t objected fully to the idea of Aaron taking Robert’s name, or even Robert taking Aaron’s and becoming part of the Dingle clan. It seemed that she had accepted it. Perhaps he needed to pay closer attention to see why, but he made the decision to follow Chas’s lead.

**Author's Note:**

> Come have a nosy on tumblr!: [Port in a Storm](http://www.portinastorm.tumblr.com)


End file.
